Hungry Heart

David Chang always felt like a misfit cooking in fine-dining establishments. How ironic, then, that his two New York City restaurants serve some of the finest food around.

"My mom always had kimchi in the fridge," says Chang, a Virginia native who grew up dreaming of cooking in his father's restaurants. (Dad, in an attempt to discourage him from going into the business, would only let him bus tables.) At both Chang's places in Manhattan's East Village, Momofuku Noodle Bar and Momofuku Ssäm Bar, pickles of every sort work their way onto the plates. Pickled cauliflower, baby carrots, beets, and celery retain their crunch and gain subtle, lip-smacking spice. A mushroom salad of sorts bears traces of the time Chang spent in some of New York City's most exalted kitchensCraft and Café Boulud among them. Matchsticks of Jerusalem artichokes (which start out looking like knobby ginger) marinate in rice vinegar seasoned with shichimi togarashi, a Japanese seven-spice blend. Meaty, buttery king oyster mushrooms are panfried to concentrate richness; the whole gains intensity from a purée of pistachios simmered in dashi. Enoki mushrooms, crisp radishes, and microgreens top it all off gorgeously. A sip of soju and tonic with slivers of Pink Lady apple refreshes between each bite. Chang gives Ssäm Bar sous-chef Tien Ho much of the creditteam effort goes into all the dishesfor transforming often-maligned Brussels sprouts into an addictive bar snack. "The funk of fish sauce works great with their bittersweet quality," he says.

Before opening his own restaurants, Chang followed his lifelong noodle obsession to a job making ramen in Tokyo, and, later, to an apprenticeship with a veteran soba maker. Homesickness for the States eventually led him back to New York, though his time in Japan continued to have a hold on him. "It's such a food culture there," he says. "It's not just for the 'foodies,' but for everyone. Take ramen: Look at all the passion, fervor, and dedication that go into a lowly bowl of soup." Chang pursues excellent ingredients with a similar single-mindedness: The seductively smoky notes of some of America's best bacon and pork feature in nearly all his dishes. For his apple salad, Chang fries the bacon until it's crisp, then tosses thin apple slices in the warm fat with some lime juice to bring out the fruit's tang. Lychees play up the salad's sweetness, and peanuts roasted with fish sauce and chili powder add a subtle savory quality. From its inception, Ssäm Bar has catered to the late-night crowd, so the menu features few desserts. "It's nice to have a seasonal fruit at the end of the meal," says Chang. "That's the usual thing in an Asian household." His unexpected flourish on sliced persimmons is a sprinkling of coarse sea salt. "It gives a little crunchy texture, but it also brings out some different flavors you might not have noticed. You salt vegetables," he says. "So why not salt fruit?"